A search operation is under way for a British woman believed to have fallen overboard from a cruise ship in the Mediterranean. The passenger was reported missing on the Aurora ship as it sailed from the Portuguese city Oporto to Barcelona yesterday, P&O Cruises said.

The ship's crew were alerted and ordered an immediate search of the area which has so far failed to find the as-yet unnamed woman. Authorities are now providing assistance for the missing woman's family, the cruise operator said.